Virtual Power Plant trial in Wellington

Redback Technologies has been selected by Contact Energy to participate in a Virtual Power Plant (VPP) trial in Wellington.

The project, which has been developed in partnership with Wellington Electricity and Wellington City Council, will use Redback’s Smart Hybrid System. The system is designed to capture, store and manage solar power encouraging self-optimisation of household energy. Its smart technology uses machine learning to gather intelligence over time to ensure energy usage is optimised and provides an accelerated return on investment.

The two-year solar and battery technology trial is designed to support Wellingtonians in the event of a natural disaster. The Redback technology will allow residents to access energy from solar power generation and battery storage when the electricity grid is under pressure during peak times or is compromised due to outages. The trial will include 25 homes in the Wellington area.

Contact Energy Chief Generation and Development Officer James Kilty said they chose the Australian start-up for the trial due to the innovative and highly flexible nature of the technology which enables customers to choose a range of battery sizes and provides external cloud control of the technology.

Kilty said the smart network of customer-located batteries would enhance the resilience of communities in the event of a natural disaster, such as an earthquake, which Wellington has experienced in recent years. Customer feedback had been positive thus far, with a willingness to support the wider community through a neighbourhood charging hub, should the need arise, he said.

Redback Technologies Director of Oceania Sales Tim Latimer said the project represents a huge opportunity to trial Redback’s technology in a VPP use case.

“We’re thrilled to be partnering with one of New Zealand’s leading energy retailers to trial Redback’s system in a VPP setting. This will bring us one step closer to establishing a grid predominantly powered by renewable energy.

“By building the energy infrastructure for the future, Redback is placing the power back into the hands of the consumers and giving them control over how their energy is used,” said Latimer.